Zillennials
Millennial-Gen Z cusp
Zillennials are people born in the late 1990s, positioned at the cusp between Generation Z and Millennials.
They share cultural touchstones with both groups—old enough to remember life before smartphones, young enough to have grown up with the internet.
The term captures those who don't fit neatly into either generational category: As a zillennial, I relate to both sides of the generational discourse.
Those raised with technology
- early internetNetwork's primitive years
- AIMDiscontinued messaging platform
- MSN MessengerMicrosoft's discontinued chat client
- cord-cuttingDropping pay television subscriptions
Borrowed tuition funds owed
- gig economyWork based on temporary contracts
- side hustleSecondary income venture
- housing crisisSevere lack of affordable dwellings
- 2008 crashGlobal economic meltdown
job market · career pivots · remote work · freelance · burnout culture · hustle culture · financial instability · rent burden
People in transitional states
- age groupPopulation segment by birth years
- Gen ZPost-millennial demographic cohort
- tweenersThose straddling two groups
- age bracketDemographic division by years
Longing for the past
- Disney ChannelYouth-oriented cable broadcaster
- NickelodeonChildren's entertainment channel
- MTV generationYouth shaped by music videos
- scene kidsMid-2000s alternative youth subculture
skinny jeans · pop punk · meme culture · stan culture · fandom · binge-watching · reality TV · content creators
Alternating between linguistic varieties
- identity crisisLoss of personal certainty
- belongingState of fitting in
- in-betweenOccupying middle position
- adaptableAble to adjust readily
digital natives
Those raised with technology
- early internetNetwork's primitive years
- AIMDiscontinued messaging platform
- MSN MessengerMicrosoft's discontinued chat client
student debt
Borrowed tuition funds owed
- gig economyWork based on temporary contracts
- side hustleSecondary income venture
- housing crisisSevere lack of affordable dwellings
2008 crash · job market · career pivots · remote work · freelance · burnout culture · hustle culture · financial instability · rent burden · cost of living
in-betweeners
People in transitional states
nostalgia
Longing for the past
- Disney ChannelYouth-oriented cable broadcaster
- NickelodeonChildren's entertainment channel
- MTV generationYouth shaped by music videos
scene kids · skinny jeans · pop punk · meme culture · stan culture · fandom · binge-watching · reality TV · content creators
code-switching
Alternating between linguistic varieties
- identity crisisLoss of personal certainty
- belongingState of fitting in
- in-betweenOccupying middle position
- Microgenerations
ZillennialsSilent Generation
1928-1945 demographic cohort
Greatest Generation · Boomers · post-war generation · Generation X · Gen Alpha
millennial, millennials, millennium, millennia, generations, generational